One Step Ahead
by suekay535
Summary: It's about a phsycic princess on a journey to her new home, unfortunatly there are some obstacles on the way, like a fairie, a shadeling, and a some romance.
1. Chapter 1

**One Step Ahead**

**Chapter 1**

My mother never thought I'd be ready enough to accept the throne, neither did I. She always thought of me as a fiery spirit, wanting adventure at every corner, which is exactly what I wanted, in fact, when I was small, I used to say hello to every one of the staff, and sometimes my kindness earned me a small lesson in, well just about anything. From scroll writing to sorcery, I was the most educated girl in the kingdom. After a few years I was very good at my lessons. Then came my thirteenth birthday, and I was never normal again.

It started on a cold winter's day in December. I was heading for the stables to visit Kale Stowen, the stable boy and my best friend, when suddenly something just flashed before my eyes. It was a stream of scenes and colors that seemed to be trying to tell me something. I saw Kale cornered by Tailwind, the meanest horse you'll ever meet. Kale's left arm looked broken and he had a long gash down his right leg.

I ran all the way back to the palace to get help. The nearest person was a guard named Laywin. I shouted and called for him, naturally he came running to me.

"What is wrong Naori?" he asked politely when he noticed I was not hurt. I didn't know how to explain seeing Kale hurt when I wasn't even in the stable. It was new to me and scared me so much I almost didn't believe it happened, almost.

"Tailwind has Kale cornered. Get help he's in trouble." I said frantically. I saw shock in the man's face as he pondered how to handle the situation. He twirled his straggly beard in his finger, which he did a lot.

"I'll get Gabe he's good with horses." he said as he hurried into the castle running faster than many a man I have ever seen. I didn't want to wait and decided to go to the stable and make sure my, well what ever it was was accurate.

I ran quickly and tripped many times in the snow over tree roots and rocks. My heart was racing and my skin turning cold to the touch. I was almost there when I heard a small cry for help. It was Kale! I ran inside to discover Kale sprawled on the ground with only a walking stick to defend himself from Tailwind's flailing hooves. Every detail from my stream was correct, including Kale's injuries.

"Hold on Kale!" I cried over the entire neighing from just about every horse in the stables. "Help is on the way!"

"How did you know I needed help?" he yelled back. I thought about my reply. If Kale didn't believe me, then no one would. I may not have understood this, this vision, but maybe Kale would.

"I just saw it in a, a vision I guess. It just flashed in front of my eyes like a stream or a brook, rolling out in front of me." I described as best I could. Kale looked a little confused at first, but then just nodded in his way of saying, _I don't completely understand what you're saying since I'm fighting with a stick for my life, but we will talk later._

Suddenly Laywin and Gabe came bursting through the doors in record timing. Gabe quickly, with great skill and accuracy, he some how calmed down Tailwind and got him back in his stall. I was learning from him himself and knew I could never be that good with animals.

"Alright let's get Kale to the infirmary immediately. It looks like he may have broken his arm." said Laywin as he observed Kale with a trained eye. I just held back while they lifted him up and out of the stables.

It took a while but Kale finally made it to the infirmary. I just stood next to him praying he would heal well. I just couldn't live on with out my only friend my own age, well I guess that wasn't true exactly, but all my other friends are girls, and they don't much like racing or having mud fights, like Kale.

"He should heal well enough." Said Lillian, the head healer she was fairly plump and had blond hair and a smile that could warm the coldest room. " He will have a nasty scare on that leg of his, but shouldn't have a limp, so's I suppose he'll be just the same as e' was."

They let me have a moment alone with him since I was crown princess, and the one who saved him from that devil of a horse Tailwind. When I stepped to his side he was already looking a little better. He smiled warmly and beckoned me over to him.

"What was all that about a vision now?" he asked truly curious.

"I saw what was going to happen to you or what was happening to you as it flashed in front of my eyes." I replied

"Hmm… Well that's real interesting. I hope you have more visions like this one. They could prove to be useful in the future." He smiled brightly.

That's what started our whole exploring my mysterious visions thing. They came and went as they pleased, and over the years I understood more about them. Like the fact that they mostly only came when someone was in danger, or if it involved me. Kale and I didn't tell anyone about my visions. It was our own secret we shared.

Today was my eighteenth birthday, the day I inherited the throne. I didn't want it, I didn't want to rule. I wished I had a brother or sister to take my place, but I didn't. My mother looked like she was going to jump off a cliff from all the suspense. I wished I could just tell her I didn't want it, but I didn't want to disappoint her either. I went to see Kale in order to talk it out with him. Kale always listened.

"…I don't know what to do Kale. It's way to much pressure for me to handle, you know that. I just can't take the stupid throne." I finished my long winded speech with Kale, and waited for his reply. He seamed to be thinking for a very long time, while I spent it playing with my thin long red hair. My bangs were getting a little long. Playing with my hair got boring, so I just studied Kale for a bit. He had a nice hansom face and hair red like mine, but curlier. He had many freckles from being in the sun so long; I too had a few of those.

"I don't know what to say Naori. I'm just plum out of ideas." He said at last with a solemn look on his face. I didn't think he would have any ideas, but I was glad that I had him to listen to me.

I walked back to the palace slowly enjoying the warm spring air while I still could. Suddenly Laywin came running towards me.

"Your, your highness, your mother wants you in the throne room immediately." He said between long gasping breaths.

Here it was, time to face the music at last. I wished I had felt a little brave, but all I felt was this queasiness in the pit of my stomach. We reached the throne room fairly quickly although I felt pretty dizzy from all the twists and turns in the hallways.

There was no announcer saying, "Introducing crown princess Naori May Minueta." No, there was just a knock on the door and the queen stating, "Come in." I was actually glad about it.

I stepped lightly over the delicate mosaic tiles in the throne room and curtsied low. When I got back up the first thing I noticed was the expression of joy on her face. That was odd; my mother was less pleased about my crowning than I was. She stepped off her throne and bent down to kiss my cheek. Now things were definitely getting stranger, my mother never did that unless she was in an extremely good mood.

"I have excellent news sweetie." She said with a radiating if not somewhat creepy smile. "You're cousin Jeffrey has agreed to take the throne off your hands being as his brother is getting the throne in his kingdom." She said in delight. I suddenly felt as if a great weight had been lifted off my shoulders. It was over, no more fretting about how to rule, or how to please everyone, or what bows to use, gone!

"You'll go live in a special vacation castle we own from now on. Where you may do as you please." She gleamed.

That was a little unsettling that I would leave all I know behind so I asked. "Can Kale come with me?"

"Sure sweetie he can go too." She said still smiling. Now was the time to celebrate, so I rushed out the room through the twisting hallways and outside to the stables.

"Kale, Kale! I'm free!" I shouted to him, waving like a maniac to catch his attention, which apparently worked, because he came running toward me. I embraced him in a tight squeeze, which he returned immediately.

"What happened?" he asked with a bit of excitement in his bright green eyes. I repeated the conversation I had with my mother. I made sure to tell him he was allowed to come on our little trip to paradise. The excitement was so over whelming I suspected a little shine in my forest green eyes.

"That's amazing! I can't believe you didn't see this coming." He replied after my retelling.

"Neither can I! This is a change for the best at last. No more bowing or good manners or any princess stuff!"

I grabbed his hand and started dancing around like a fool. It was the happiest day of my life! Than came the vision.

It was just like any other vision, and like any other vision it started with a stream of colors snapping into place before my eyes. I saw myself running away from something. I couldn't tell what, but it looked maybe like a man, only with long claws and huge white glowing eyes. I was so scared I fell to the ground, even though the vision was over. I did feel a hand on my shoulder though, and realized it was Kale.

"The last time you had a vision like that Naori, your father was dead." said Kale in a deeply concerned tone. I knew that, but I wasn't sure I wanted to share my vision with Kale. It was so horrible I just couldn't describe it.

"Kale, I don't want to discus this one. I just can't." He looked at me with knowing eyes, and I knew he wouldn't make me tell.

The next three days were spent packing up a wooden wagon full of essentials, and a few memoirs. I felt a little better about the vision I last had, but only a little. What I really wanted was to just get out of the palace and embark on this journey with no interruptions. That was going pretty smoothly, although there were a few fights with my mother about an escort.

"I do not need an army to protect me mother! I have Kale and he is quite strong." I would argue.

Then she would reply with, "Kale is only one man, and there are only so many things one man can do." We went on like this for a while till she finally caved in at the last moment.

"Fine, no escort, just promise me you'll be careful." She said the morning before I left.

"I promise mother, and besides, I'm always careful." I assured with a sly smile.

Time was of the essence, so I packed the last of my things in a small trunk. Most of it was clothes and some extra hair ribbons. The hair ribbons were because I hate my hair in my face. It's like trying to see through a field of red reeds. I really wanted to cut my hair short, but mother always said it was improper. I couldn't wait to leave at that thought, so I ran down to the stables to see Kale.

When I got there it looked as if he was saying goodbye to the horses. I waited for him to turn around, which didn't take long. He looked as if he was excited and ready to leave at last. I was so very glad he was coming; I mean where would I be without Kale to play around with and tell secrets to?

"I think I'm ready to go now. I'm ready to face the road and the new horizon of this new age." he said.

"A little over dramatic, do you think?" I replied and gave him a playful shove. He grinned then picked up some hay and threw it at me.

"All right you have done it now!" I shouted and threw some more hay back. We kept at this for a really long time and no one really won our little hay war. Finally Gabe came and broke us up, then sent us to the carriage where it was waiting for us to leave. We took our time getting in the carriage, both of us so ready to leave, yet so ready to take our time doing so.

"Here we are. Just one shake of the reins towards freedom." said Kale hesitatingly.

"Yes Kale except it's the task of taking that leap, or shaking those reins." I replied with certainty. My whole future was laid out on one road, and I was never more certain then to take that road. "Let us get out of the palace and take that chance." I said so strongly that I was certain he got the message, and then we took to that one path, that one road, our future.

**Chapter 2**

That so called road to our future was so rough and bumpy, I almost puked, thrice! The scenery though, was so beautiful; it made up for my nausea. The trees tall and some wider than houses! Every leaf cast a small glitter of light, and every branch swayed slowly as if it were listening to the loveliest ballad. My heart lightened at the site of a single wild flower, or a butterfly flying on the breeze landing on the flowers gracefully as if its whole life was just perching on a flower, which it most likely was. The whole day was one spectacle after another and another sending us a step closer toward freedom.

We got to a small meadow with just enough time to make camp and make a small dinner. Kale and I quickly got the tent set up in a quick and easy motion; we often camped out in front of the palace as children. We talked very little as we ate our small stew, which I had prepared, because we were so very hungry. My first impulse after that was to go straight to bed, but instead I took the time to talk more to Kale.

"Do you think anyone will attack us out here Kale?" I asked in deep concern. It was a fact that had bugged me for as long as we had left the palace. It was a really stressful and nagging little scenario that could cost us both our lives, so yes I was a little worried.

"It is a possibility, but unlikely since the road to our destination is rough and not used often because of it being in this state." he said as if he had put some real thought into it, which I wasn't to surprised about since Kale was always thinking about something important.

"Well thank you for settling that for me. It has been nagging at me all day." I replied using a thankful and stress less tone. I was so glad that little worry was put out; of course there was still that vision.

"Yes well, your welcome. Maybe we should get some sleep now." suggested Kale. It was a very tempting suggestion, and at that I chose to take it and finally get some sleep.

"That sounds wonderful, in fact so wonderful I think I'll beat you to it." I agreed. It was get really late and I was very tired.

That night I dreamt of me walking down an old cobble stone road in the middle of no where enjoying a beautiful sunny day. There were many amazing sights and sounds all over; my nose even caught the scent of one of my favorite wild flowers. I later came to a brook flowing smoothly and gently around a bend as if the water was taking its time to get to where it was going. Then, the whole dream took an impossible turn.

Day turned to night and the brook was gone. My heart raced as I saw what was heading toward me. It was a dark figure with white glowing eyes like stars. Its skin was as black as the sky and it had sharp silvery claws that were as long as my palm.

"Naori…" it called in a quick, sharp, and angry tone of voice.

I ran fast and hard toward an empty blackness that had no end. It followed after me running so fast that in a split second it was almost in front of me, blocking my way toward freedom. I stopped.

"Who are you and what do you want." I asked in what was meant to be a brave tone, but instead came out as a whisper.

"Jason. And I need your help." he said, still clipping his words.

At that moment I was sitting up straight in my bed roll, sweating and breathing very hard as if I had run a mile.

"Naori, are you alright?" asked Kale as he stepped through the tent with some bacon on a plate in hand. I looked at it longingly; I was so hungry I could eat a horse.

"It was just a bad dream. I'll be fine Kale, just leave some me bacon while I find a stream to bathe in." I said as reassuringly as possible, although I was not fooling myself any more than I believe I was fooling him.

"There is a river that runs all the way to our new home, and on after that. It's that way." He told as he pointed in the general direction of west. I raced that way quickly in order to get the sweat and grime to wash away easily.

The river was waist high and so clear you could see many round stones on the bottom. There were many trees for cover and literally no rapids. I felt relief as soon as I took one stepped into the water. It was just right in temperature, and took away the grime as soon as I went under. I used some soap I brought to get even cleaner. It was sweet smelling and reminded me of lilacs. I rubbed all over until I felt as clean as possible.

I was about step out and get dressed when I had an idea. I pulled a small knife out of the sheath in my blouse and started cutting my hair. It just fell to the ground like red ribbons and when I was finished I looked at my reflection in the river. My hair now only went as far as my nose and I felt a lot better about myself. Improper, _please_, take that mother.

I walked back to camp to find it packed and ready to go at my command. Kale looked startled by my new hair style and was about to say something then closed his mouth. He picked up the reins and beckoned me over so that we would get a head start this morning.

Kale picked up a piece of paper and looked it over. I peeked over his shoulder to find that it was a map, so that's how he knew where the river was. I still didn't know how long our journey would take, but at looks of it, it would take a very long time, perhaps a month.

"I think we should take the next left in the fork up ahead." I suggested. He gave me an annoyed look, as if I had took a bit of his pride from him and burnt it.

"The right route is a lot longer, but a lot smoother. We should go that direction." he stated as if he knew all and nothing could change his mind. I thought it was worth a shot at trying for the shorter route though because it was so much more appealing than the long one.

"The short route may be a little rough, but its distance makes up for that." I protested. My persuasion was not going well, since Kale looked really mad, but I was not traveling so far because the route was _smooth._

"I don't think its best that we take that route, your highness." he said through gritted teeth. Kale hadn't called me _your highness_. In a long time since he knew it made me remember my duties, but I was free now so that wouldn't work.

"I order you to take the left turn!" I shouted. Uh oh, I thought. I had never given kale an order before, never. I felt instant shame at the look of hurt on his face, so I turned away.

"As you wish Naor… I mean your highness." he said quietly looking at nothing but the road ahead. When we came to the turn he took the left.

Kale didn't talk to me for the rest of the day, and when we stopped to make camp he wouldn't let me help. I felt alone and frightened when he wouldn't talk to me when I tried to make conversation. He wouldn't even acknowledge that I was there. He just avoided me until I had my vision that is.

I was about to ask yet another to be unanswered question to Kale, when It flashed in front of me. It was a quick flash, but some how I caught the message. It was a well winged girl with long blond curls and a yellow tulip for a dress. Her foot was caught in a tree limb and she was struggling to, well I assumed fly away. It was a very strange vision, but they had never let me down before. I walked to the nearest tree.

Kale recognized the signs of my visions and ran over to me with a worried expression on his face. Well, well, well. The tree had nothing on it but when I turned around, I caught a bit of color in the corner of my eye. I rushed toward that spot where I had seen it and saw her. She was very small and had purple eyes. Her wings were not much different from a butterfly's. They were yellow with purple spots. I saw her struggle even more at the sight of us, clearly frightened.

"You look like you might need some help with that." I stated matter-of-factly. She looked even more frightened now and tried to fly higher, but her ankle clear restricted her of that. I reached out with my hand and pulled the branches apart in order to free her ankle.

"Oh! Well, hmm, thank you I suppose." She said looking very confused, but so was I; maybe we could be confused together.

"What are you?" I asked.

"I'm a fairy. My name is Nolli. Are you lost? Most locals know not to travel in our forest." She asked. A fairy? Am I supposed to believe that she is a fairy? Well, why not? I mean, if there are such a thing as physic princesses, then why not fairies?

"Excuse me, but _our_ forest?" I asked. Surely no one really owned a forest, did they? I was still very confused and then it hit me. We were traveling in the forest of dreams. It was not on the map, but I learned about it from one of my scholars. This place was supposed to be dangerous.

"Well this forest does not belong to the humans. It was agreed upon by _our_ people that this forest would be _ours_, so this is _our_ forest." she stated in an irritated way. I almost lost my temper at how shrewd she was. I turned around to see Kale with his eyes wide and his mouth open, so I shut it for him. He looked at me in an angry way; at least he acknowledged my existence. I was feeling a little low when I remembered our argument. It was my fault we ended up here in a strange forest in the middle of no where.

"Well, I guess that makes sense." I snapped at her. She was going to regret making me feel like I was stupid. I knew things; it's just that they do not always come to me quickly.

"Uh sorry to interrupt but we really need to get back to camp. _Naori_…" said Kale. I was wondering when he was going to come down to earth.

"Fine." I said with more or less than a hiss. "Let us leave this place." I wanted out of here as soon as possible. This fairy was getting on my nerves.

"Then I shall come with you." said Nolli. "Unfortunately, it is a custom of our people to repay our rescuers with a little bit of service, I repeat, a _little_ bit of service." I was shocked. There was No way she was coming with us. No way, no way, no way.

"Fine." said Kale. I gave him a death stare, but instead of cowering in fear as I hoped, he just shrugged. One of these days….

I stormed back to camp and lay down on my sleeping pad. I tried to fall asleep, but all I could do was be engulfed by my thoughts and what happened recently. My head just kept spinning, until I came up with one soothing thought, and fell asleep at last.

It was a thankfully dreamless night. There was no one named Jason asking for my help, which by the looks of things he probably just wanted to scare me. That is, if he actually existed. I had hoped for a little bit that the fairy had left, but unfortunately, she was still there smiling maniacally at the angry look on my face.

I was about tie a ribbon in my hair, when I remembered that I had cut it. It was so straight I almost screamed. I hated my hair and having it out of my face made me feel better about it in a small kind of way. When I walked up to the wagon my hair fanned out in layers as it bounced of the back of my head.

"Can't we give her some errand then leave with out a trace?" I pleaded Kale.

"No." That was it "no" nothing else significant. I was hoping by today we would be over the map fight, but I guess I was wrong. I don't know if I would forgive myself for ordering Kale.

"Let's go then." I said plain and simple as Nolli came over to the wagon and sat down on a sack in it. I couldn't shake the feeling that Kale and I might never be the same.

"I think that's best." He replied. I wanted to ask him why he kept pushing away. Friends till the end. I guess this was the end.

We didn't talk at all the whole ride, well Nolli talked, but I pretty much ignored her. The scenery was beautiful, but what scared me was that I didn't care. I didn't care about the forest or the fact that I was going to a new home. I just didn't care about anyone, or anything. It was the scariest moment of my life; that is until my next vision.

We were about to stop for camp when my eyes saw what lay ahead. I saw a fleet of men leap out of the bushes and trees where we camped and take us into them. My heart leapt and I grabbed the reins from Kale and drove on faster than we had gone the whole trip. I kept picturing the grave thought of the men in the bushes, which made me shake the reins harder.

"Naori! Naori, what are you doing stop, stop!" cried Kale. I remembered him and the fairy and thought about how scared they must be and yanked the reins to stop the horses.

"I'm sorry Kale I just saw, saw the most frightening vision. We were just making camp and they came and…" Kale slid over and held me as I cried. He kept trying to sooth me, but I was beyond that for the moment.

"Why Kale?"

"Why what?" he responded.

"Why do you keep pushing me away? Why do you do this to me? It's tearing me apart. It's tearing us apart." I wanted him to know how I felt. I wanted him to feel this pain. He looked at me sadly and held me closer.

"I don't know, but I think I need to stop and tell you one thing. I will never make you feel like that again. I was a fool to punish you like this. I should have known how you were feeling. I should have, I should have told you how much I care for you." I was shocked. Those words that came from Kale made me feel as if it was me pushing, not him.

"I'm sorry Kale." I said with all my heart.

"No, I'm sorry Nay." He was done and so was I , so we set up camp and went straight to bed.

Jason came back that night. I was just dreaming of nothing really when he came out of nowhere, I was scared stiff and could not run this time. I was actually curios at what he wanted, but mostly too scared to move.

"You have to help me. I am dieing out here in the woods. There is no time to waste. You will find me under a bushed shaped almost like a star. My body is there. Please help me." I found his white eyes pleading and worried. He wasn't after me he just wanted to live.

"How do you know me? How are you talking to me here?" I asked feeling a bit suspicious.

"That is easy; I just looked for the closest sear. I can talk to you because that is what my kind does. I am a dream shade ling. I was born like this." He answered with a small state of obvious about him.

"I'll look for you." I said and that was it. I woke up.

There was no one around so I went the river to bathe. I was a little to fast and rapid, but I managed to stay up right. When I decided it was time to get out I took one step and lost my footing. Suddenly I was floating down the river. I screamed and screamed for help, and then every thing went black after that. I saw nothing.

I woke choking and spitting out water. Kale was there and he grabbed me and held me close.

"I thought you were dead." He whispered. I thought I was dead too.

"What happened?" I asked a little dizzyingly.

"I heard you scream and ran down here to find you sprawled out on a rock out cold." He shivered as he recalled this. I thought about how scary it would be for me if Kale was like that.

"I pushed your stomach till you woke up. I was so scared Nay." He still looked scared to me. Suddenly I realized that I had no clothes on and blushed.

"Um…. Kale could you get me my clothes." I guessed just realized it too because he started blushing and ran over to grab my clothes for me, then he gave me some privacy by turning away. I dressed quickly and tried to walk back to camp, but my legs were too weak. I ended up on the ground.

"Here let me help." Kale picked me up, and with one hand around his shoulder I managed to walk up the bank toward the wagon. Kale lifted me up into it and checked me over.

"I think you will live." He said after his long study. I looked into his eyes and saw something there that I didn't notice before. It was an almost loving kind of look. I shooed the thought away. Kale and I were just friends. I shouldn't hope for something like that.

"We better get going, oh but first I need to tell you something!" I told him about my dream and how I first visioned of Jason. He looked pretty shocked. I thought he would stare at me forever.

"Alright then, let's find him." said Kale at last, and at last we took off down the road.

After a while on the road it started to rain. We held up a canvass to keep from getting wet. When Kale heard thunder he decided it was time to find shelter. We stopped and found a cave. It was small and barely fit either of us, but we manage to make a fire. The problem was that there was only enough room for on sleeping mat. Kale looked at me cautiously.

"I guess we can share." I said shyly.

"How about I sleep on top of the sheets and you sleep under." he suggested. It was a pretty good idea and I took it up immediately. We got positioned and I fell asleep almost instantly.

I woke up to a really loud snoring sound. It was Kale. His arm was draped over me and he was snoring in my ear. I pushed him off and looked outside. It had stopped raining and morning at last. The sun I supposed shooed away the rain. I looked at my surroundings. There were trees everywhere and some large bushes shaped like a star. Oh crud! Jason's description!

I ran over and saw one of his claws sticking out. I dragged him out and over to the cave. He looked exactly as in my visions. At that moment Kale woke up. At the sight of Jason he moved away from the mat and helped me carry him over to it.

"What's going on?" asked a familiar voice, Nolli.

"Where have you been?" I snapped. I was sick of her.

"Is that a shade ling? She responded with yet another question.

"Yes now get over here and help him!" I yelled.

"I can go gather some herbs." she suggested. About time she actually did something around here.

"That sounds great, now go!" Jason was dieing and we couldn't do a thing.

"Wait, maybe you could use this." She held what looked like a small bottle. "It's from the healing springs. One drop cures all." It was worth a shot, so I took it and poured it down his throat.

For a while nothing happened, and then he shot straight up and looked around with his white knowing eyes.

"Thank you sear. I would have been lost without your help." said Jason and he relaxed a bit.

"What happened to you?" I asked. It was time for him to talk, now.

"I am a very important member of my tribe. My brother wanted my position, so he issued a challenge. He lost. Some how he got me alone and had his followers do me in and hide the body." He talked about it as if it were yesterday. "I found you in your visions and tried to get your attention. It worked, and now I have to thank you and get back to my tribe." He began to get up, but fell back down. Apparently he was too weak to move on.

"I don't think you're ready. Tell you what, we'll stay here and take care of you till you are able and strong, deal?" I was hoping that he would just swallow his pride and agree. We had barely met, but I felt that I knew him already.

"Very well, I will stay then." He almost whispered the words; I guess he was choking on that pride now.

"Good, Kale and I will be in a tent outside if you need us." At that I left him with Nolli and headed for the wagon. We had covered it up with that tarp to keep our stuff from getting wet.

"Let's set up the tent then." I told Kale. He was already taking off the tarp when I said it and getting out the poles.

Unlike any other time we got out the tent I noticed every touch and look from Kale. I felt butterflies in my stomach and as light as air. I kept trying to tell myself that Kale was just a friend, but I couldn't. I loved him. I had many questions floating around in my head, but the most important thing was; does he love me?

"Alright all done. Naori are you all right?" he must have seen the confusion written on my face. I guess hiding emotions was harder than I thought.

"I'm alright, never been better." I tried to smile, but it probably ended up looking demonic. I guess I failed at controlling my face too.

"Is it about Jason?" he asked

"No!" I said way too quickly. Uh oh.

"You like him don't you?"

"Yes, but not in the way you think!"

"Oh, I see this is why you've kept him from me and why it seems like _you're _pushing me!" accused Kale.

"Why would I be pushing you if I love you?!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. When I realized what I said and saw the look on Kale's face I quickly covered my mouth with both of my hands.

"You, you love me? But all this time I thought, I thought you didn't care like that for me. This whole time…" I stopped him by using one of my hands and placing it over his mouth.

Suddenly Kale had me in his arms and our lips met and he kissed me tenderly. When I found what he was doing I kissed back. My whole being was filled to the brim with joy. I was sad when we finally had to break apart to breath.

"I've been waiting too long to do that." He said between breaths.

Kale and I shared a mat that night. I know what you're thinking, but we just slept that's it. We were too exhausted to do anything else but. When I woke up that morning I suddenly remembered Jason.


	2. The End

Kale was still asleep, so I ran over to the cave to check on him.

When I got there he was in deep conversation with Nolli. She was perched on his shoulder whispering in his ear; apparently Jason had the strength to sit up. That was a good sign. He looked like he was enjoying Nolli's little tale.

"Are you hungry?" I asked, while interrupting their little what ever it was. I was getting a bit suspicious that it was about Kale and I.

"Yes, and make it quick." Replied Nolli in her irritated little voice; sometimes I just wanted to see how she'd like to talk like that after I tore off her wings.

"I wasn't asking _you_. Jason?" I thought that was insult enough to fill her up twice, of course that's not saying much.

"I am content." Huh, I guess he's not a talker.

"Um, ok. I'll be back later." I was about to walk out when…

"That will not be necessary. I am leaving as soon as Nolli is ready." Oh good he was taking the brat with him. I was filled with joy!

"Alright then, I guess we will leave now then. Good bye." I was out of that cave and heading toward camp to wake up Kale.

"Kale! Kale, wake up!" I yelled as I stormed in the tent. I had bad timing though because he was getting dressed. He had on trousers, but his chest was bare.

"Oh!" I said in surprise. I quickly turned away cheeks flushed and all. I thought maybe I caught a grin out of the corner of my eye.

"I'm descent now." he said as he came around and kissed my cheek, which made me blush even more. This time he was definitely grinning.

"Uh, Jason says he's healthy enough to go on his way no and he's taking Nolli with him, so we can go now." He listened to me as he tied his boot on one knee.

A vision developed in my head all of a sudden. I saw myself in a long white dress walking toward Kale, who was also dressed fairly fine. He had a ring on his middle finger.

"I do!" I told Kale as I came out of the vision. He looked at me like I was crazy then had a shocked look replace the former.

"You did not!" he said playfully.

"I did!" and that was that.

**THE END**


End file.
